Chapter 181
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 181
Chapter Title: It Never Ends Well
I've always had this one nagging issue.
What do you do when someone tries to do you a favor and ends up screwing everything up?
Should you get mad? Or just let it slide? I've thought about it a lot.
They did it for me, after all. Getting angry feels wrong. But if they'd just stayed put, none of this would've happened.
After endless internal debates, I finally settled on something like, "It depends on how bad the screw-up is."
Why bring that up now, you ask?
Obviously, because—
—Sion! Don't you want to see Seong-hoon happy!!
—Huh? That's kinda new!! I do wanna see!! What about you, sis?!
—Y-Yeah?! No. I mean, not really!! Well, um. I... d-don't know!! But if you wanna see it, Sion, I guess I could help out if I really push myself!
—For real?! Sis, you're such a tsundere!!
Haha. Hohoho. What a heartwarming sight. I opened my mouth to stop them, but they were already reaching for the flower faster than I could speak.
"This is driving me insane."
At the same moment, a burst of pink powder erupted from the flower. An enormous cloud of pollen exploded out, engulfing Raphael and Sion.
I immediately clamped my mouth and nose shut with my clothes, using my free hand to cover Levatein's muzzle.
At the same time, I nodded to Sylph. The wind spirit caught on instantly and blew the pollen cloud far away—but
it was too late. The damage was done. What emerged from the dissipating pollen were a blonde and a black-haired girl, both slumped over with their heads hanging low.
"Sigh."
All I could do was sigh. To finish my earlier thought, this is exactly the kind of situation where getting mad feels iffy.
If the screw-up is huge, you get mad.
If it's minor, and they did it for you, you let it slide.
But this? It's right on that blurry line.
[Daddy!! Why are Mommy and Sis like that?!]
"Beats me. They should've picked something else."
Then I could've yelled and been done with it. Or maybe not? This might be better than dealing with the hassle.
Not sure. I walked over to them. This was a dungeon, after all.
What do you think of first in a dungeon? Popping monsters. Ambushing threats.
Bosses guarding the lowest floors. Plenty of those, but the real danger? Traps.
Common sense says no way a beautiful flower grows in some underground tunnel like this. Traps, plain and simple.
Real dungeons are packed with insane traps. The classics: spears from below, rolling boulders, arrows from the sides.
They pop up constantly. So many you can't count them all. Even with Lachesis, we only disarm the deadliest ones and move on.
Traps that don't trigger unless you touch them? We just walk past.
[Take your eyes off 'em for a second, and this happens. Raphael's no slouch either-nya.]
"I'm never bringing kids into a dungeon again."
I grabbed Sion's shoulder as she nodded and wobbled.
Her head lolled around, revealing her face.
"Whoa."
[Sis?!]
Her eyes were spinning like crazy. This is why it's so iffy. The trap they triggered was a debuff trap.
The pollen from the flower they touched carried a debuff of—
"O-O-Oppa~ My eyes are spinning~"
Drunkenness. Not just tipsy—full-on blackout drunk. Why the hell in a dungeon? you might ask.
Think about it. You're in a dungeon, where you have to watch every step. One wrong move, and traps trigger. Monsters swarm from everywhere.
If your eyes start spinning and you can't think straight?
It's not just drunk—it's hallucinatory hell.
[Scary debuff-nya.]
I nodded. They didn't hit the dungeon-collapse button or anything. None of us are in mortal danger.
But if this were a slightly higher dungeon? One I couldn't solo? It could've been bad.
Really iffy. Yell or not? I can clear the lower floors solo, so yelling feels off too.
[We picked it for you-nya.]
That's why it's even harder to get mad. I set Levatein down for a sec, then scooped Sion up and laid her on the ground.
"It's okay. You'll be fine after a nap."
"O-O-Oppa~ Am I okay..."
Her words slurring out—what's okay about that? A full dragon wouldn't get hit by this, but Sion's a hatchling.
Her scales aren't fully grown, so magic hits her raw.
"There. All good."
"Y-Yeah.."
I held her hand until she finally dozed off. Now, what to do with the idiot who started this mess—
"Lee Seong-hoooon~~"
That thought flew out the window. Must be the drunkenness. A flushed, feverish blonde staggered toward me.
"Hold on. Why aren't your eyes spinning?!"
"I dooon't knooow!!"
Slurring words. Reaching hands. Dilated pupils. Drooling mouth. Seeing it all, I knew.
This.
"We're screwed."
The blonde gorilla charged.
Why? Why does this always happen?
Fine. A hundred—no, a thousand concessions. Say it's okay they triggered the trap.
It's not harmful long-term. Just sleep it off.
They could've napped while I cleared the lower floors.
So why. Why does it always escalate like this?
"Why won't you pass out!!"
The blonde grabbed my shoulders and pinned me. I got shoved against the wall in some awkward pose.
True to the golden gorilla, I couldn't resist. My puny strength stat didn't budge her.
Why won't she pass out? Angel debuff resistance? No clue.
But one thing was clear.
"You trash!!!"
I'm about to die. She shook me like a ragdoll with gorilla grip strength. My neck flopped helplessly. I'm dying. Gonna die.
Neck snapping any second!
[Nyaaang.]
I looked to Lachesis for help, but the cat who'd bolted the second I got grabbed was poking Sion next to a sitting Levatein.
Why is no one ever on my side in this house?
"W-Wait!! Raphael!! Let's talk. Talk!!"
"Taaalk?! No talkin' with trash!!"
Her tongue should've been too loose to do this. Why not just pass out peacefully? She's ditched polite speech too.
It's kinda fresh, but—
not the point right now.
"You're not in your right mind!!"
"R-Right miiind?"
Did my desperate yell get through? Raphael paused her shaking. That's it.
We're soul partners, right? True words connect us—
"If I'm in my right miiind, I'm not!!"
"Huh?"
Nope. The hesitation was just to build momentum. Must've been building up a lot.
The blonde in front of me teared up and unleashed a machine-gun rant.
"You trash!! Lower than dirt!! Why do you flirt with girls all clueless-like! Think I didn't hear from right next to you?!"
What? If I knew how to flirt, I wouldn't be a 25-year virgin.
Getting madder the more I hear. Framing me for crap I didn't do is infuriating.
"And what? Trips together?! You know how much I was looking forward to that!! Why eat at our house? Why invite her?!"
"You're sisters, though—"
"Shut up!!"
"Yes ma'am."
What can you do when you're wronged? Fists beat law, especially in dungeons.
I listened quietly to Raphael. Silently prayed to live, of course.
"Why ask some girl you met on the trip to eat out!! Why hang out!! Flirting so casually, acting all innocent and clueless!! No intention to take responsibility!!"
"What was I supposed to do to take respo—"
I shut my mouth at her glare. It screamed "anything goes." I just shook my head meekly.
"Flirting over long-distance calls!! Think I didn't hear?! I was gonna punish you later!!"
Sure, sure.
"And we agreed to stay home together, but you keep going out?! Think no one knows you met Sophia?!"
Can't argue that one.
"You trash. Octopus arms. Turn into an octopus head...."
That's some harsh cursing. The pollen finally kicking in? Raphael started slumping.
Even as she slumped, mumbling stuff like "nuclear waste.... unrecyclable trash...."
I carefully lifted her up as she buried her face in my chest and passed out.
"Why do you always let me win at games..."
Muttering weird stuff to the end as she slept. I laid her next to Sion and thought.
Honestly, I barely understood half of it.
"You've got a lot bottled up, huh."
Hasn't been home in a while, so yeah. Once I get money, gotta take her to that restaurant she wanted.
[Daddy. Playtime over?]
Playtime? You're something else.
My life-or-death struggle crashed into art school admissions in seconds, but I patted the approaching Levatein—too cute to resist—and picked her up.
"Wanna head down before Mom wakes up? Just us?"
[Just us?!]
"Precisely, cat included."
[Yay!!]
With her gleeful chirp, we headed down.
[Dodged a bullet-nya.]
"No food for you anytime soon."
[Why!!]
"Mm..."
Raphael opened her eyes. First thing she saw: the dim cave ceiling. Staring up sleepily,
memories trickled back.
"Ah."
A death rattle escaped her lips as her face paled.
She'd screwed up. Big time. No memory after touching the flower, but
"This is bad."
She knew better than anyone—Lee Seong-hoon doesn't let stuff like this slide.
And—
—You keep an eye on him.
—Sion!! You're my only hope!!
She'd left it to Sion, and this happened! Disaster.
No telling what Seong-hoon would do. Starve her till tomorrow if her eyes spun—done it before.
Raphael bolted up. Maybe Sion being there softens it? Nah.
Begging for Sion's sake works better.
"Okay. With this—Huh?"
She froze mid-jump. Something covered her body.
"Robe?"
Seong-hoon's robe. The cheat item called [Reaper's Robe] that lets you slip into shadows.
He'd never lent it despite her begging—now used as a blanket.
Look up, and his scythe floated by, riding the wind. Patrolling the air like a guardian for her and Sion.
"[Death Reaper] too?"
What the hell? As she dazed out,
footsteps approached from afar. Raphael hugged Sion tight, but knew quick it wasn't needed.
Black hair fluttered in the glowstone light. Dark eyes looked her way.
He carried a crude wooden scythe, not his usual pristine white one.
"You're up?"
His voice made her stiffen. Not mentally ready yet...!!
Still, gotta try. Okay. Stick to the plan.
"Sorry!! Seong-hoon!! I didn't mean to—"
"Sorry."
"Huh?"
She blinked blankly ahead. Blood scent wafted as he approached.
'He went down alone?'
Why? He hates solo grinding.
And an apology? Raphael blinked. Seong-hoon scratched his head.
"Let's head back. It's done. Tell me what you want for dinner."
What? Her brain couldn't process. But
one thing was clear.
'Jackpot.'
Things were going her way somehow.
"I want chicken!!"
"Sure."
"Huh? For real? Then pizza too!!"
"Both."
"?!"
"And that restaurant you mentioned last time. Let's go."
"You."
Raphael's arms trembled. Impossible. Since it's impossible,
only one answer.
"Who are you!! Clone monster!!"
[These two never end well-nya.]